(KMOV.com) – Mehlville mother Mabel Shira loves taking her family on cruises. Mabel’s daughter, Nancy Torno, said her mom was ready for another trip on the open sea when she received an exciting phone call.

“A nice young lady called her and said, ‘Mable, this is the best news, you just won a free cruise,’” Torno said.

But Nancy knew the prospect of sights, sun and fun seemed too good to be true.

“ I didn’t see a real itinerary,” she said.

Rather than saying “bon voyage” Mabel Shira was saying “adios” to nearly $1,000.

“I’m not sure how this transpired, but somehow the free cruise turned into $898 on her debit card,” Torno said.

Torno got nowhere contacting the company Premier Retreats and with no helpful info on their website, PremierWordlwide.com, she called News 4 for help.

News 4 was promised by an officer for Premiere Retreats a refund would be issued, but months later it still hadn’t happened.

“I'm not suing for damages, that’s what I kept telling him,” said Torno. “Just put the money in the account. That’s all I want.”

Finally after all those months, all $898 dollars is back in Mabel Shira’s bank account. It’s amazing what can be accomplished with a little perseverance, a lot of patience and paper trail.